It Takes a Family, by Rick Santorum: on Families & Children
Hillary Clinton:
OpEd: "It Takes A Village" really means big government
Hillary Clinton made a splash several years ago with her book "It Takes a Village." Those are the words at the beginning of an African aphorism that concludes, "to raise a child." And certainly there's a great deal of truth in that aphorism.
But here is the key point that cuts through all of the noise of conservatives and liberals debating social policy: Who is the Village?Certainly Sen. Clinton didn't mean for us to take the aphorism LITERALLY; her book did not focus on the problem of
not enough authentic villages. Rather, she intended "the village" to be understood METAPHORICALLY. Liberals like Sen. Clinton see "the village" as society as a whole--influenced by, directed by, supported by, the supposed goodness of big government.
Conservatives see "the village" as, well, the village: the local community, with the family at the center of it. We believe that only strong families can improve the lives of individuals, especially children, and make for healthy communities.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 65-67
Apr 30, 2006
Rick Santorum:
No-Fault Freedom: doing whatever we want damages society
The liberal definition of freedom is the freedom to be and to do whatever we want--freedom to choose, irrespective of the choice, freedom without limits (with the obligatory caveat that you can't hurt anyone else DIRECTLY. But someone always gets hurt
when masses of individuals do what is only in their own self-interest. That is the great lie of liberal freedom, or as I like to say, "No-Fault Freedom" (all the choice, none of the responsibility).Believers of No-Fault Freedom turn a blind eye to the
damage such a notion of freedom causes not to this or that individual but to society as a whole. We have sexual freedom: and the resulting debasement of women, mental illness, and an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases causing infertility, cancer,
and death. Adults have freedom to divorce (No-Fault) when it suits them: and too many children end up being scarred for life. This is but a taste of the collateral damage inflicted on society, families, and individuals by No-Fault Freedom.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 14
Apr 30, 2006
Rick Santorum:
Shotgun marriage wasn't all that bad in some cases
The government in the form of the social worker communicates loud and clear that it doesn't believe low-income, minority couples can maintain a marriage.
It effectively says: don't bother trying, just be sure the father establishes paternity so we can come after him for child support. But where are the churches, the civic groups and community organizations? Have they given up hope as well?
Sadly, the answer is, with a few notable exceptions, yes. We've gone from the days of shotgun marriage (which I'm not sure in some cases was all that bad) to the days of shotgun paternity establishment.
As communities facing out-of-wedlock pregnancy, we've gone from common concern to common indifference.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 26
Apr 30, 2006
Rick Santorum:
Pre-marital cohabitation makes 50% more chance of divorce
Take cohabitation, or living together outside of marriage, as an example. Today's conventional wisdom holds that it is better than harmless, that it is a healthy way for a couple to "test drive" marriage.
Some even say that cohabitation is better than marriage, since people should be together only when they are in love with one another, and we can never know how and whom we will love in the future: a vow of lifelong love, they say, is unrealistic.
The problem is that the myth that living together leads to better marriages is wrong. The opposite is true. One study found that marriages preceded by cohabitation have nearly a
50 percent greater chance of ending in divorce than marriages that we not preceded by cohabitation. Furthermore, children born to parents who are just living together instead of married do not fare very well.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 29
Apr 30, 2006
Rick Santorum:
Covenant Marriage: do whatever it takes to keep together
The concept of Covenant Marriages--started in Louisiana and now also available in AZ and AR--gives couples an option when they go get a marriage license. They can choose the usual marriage with no-fault divorce escape hatch. Or they can choose a covenant
marriage, which binds them by law to get premarital counseling, and to do whatever it takes, including counseling, to keep the marriage together. Here is what couples agree to:"We do solemnly declare that marriage is a covenant between a man and a
woman who agree to live together for so long as they both may live. We have chosen each other carefully and disclosed to one another everything which could adversely affect the decision to enter into this marriage. We have received premarital counseling
on the nature, purposes & responsibilities of marriage. We understand that a Covenant marriage is for life. If we experience marital difficulties, we commit ourselves to take all reasonable efforts to preserve our marriage, including marital counseling."
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p. 79-80
Apr 30, 2006
Rick Santorum:
Automatically awarding custody to moms celebrates sexism
In disrupted families, only about 1 child in 6 sees his father as much as once a week. The divorce courts are often not kind to fathers. Ten years after a marriage breaks up, approximately 2/3 of children report that they haven't seen their father for
over a year. Divorced wives can make it difficult for the fathers of their children to visit. Personally, I cannot imagine the pain of not being able to be a part of my children's formative years.
There are many fathers out there who do not take an active role in their children's lives, but who are sadly barred from doing so by courts and mothers. Many fatherhood groups rightly complain that the family courts automatically award custody of childre
to mothers, irrespective of the circumstances. It is one of the few places in our culture where sexism is not only condoned but virtually celebrated. This can lead to devastating consequences for the whole family.
Source: It Takes A Family, by Sen. Rick Santorum, p.313-314
Jul 4, 2005
Page last updated: Feb 24, 2019